oh this has been Such a divine project so far – and there are still many to go.
we realized how happy we are with camera in hand, a cardigan discarded on the sofa, listening intently to how someone sees themselves and how they’d like to look and – when there’s children involved, working out distractions (cartoons) or puppies (snacks) or older dogs (stroking the ears – actually that works with humans too but then you just call it “may I just smooth out your eyebrow?” but it’s really touch and being kind and connecting – shhh – don’t tell).
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we have an odd and yet necessary confession to make.
when we were at university (we talked a little about our experiences there – real and otherwise fictionalized – in the Library here) our happiest moments were with-camera-in-hand (in those days, of course, there was film in the camera and celluloid canisters rolling around our pockets ready to be loaded into the camera, when needed).
we took courses in photography and learned how to Print (oh – the joyous hours spent in the darkroom with Joni Mitchell on the tape player – yes, children, a tape player in those days) and the smell of fixer fluid (always slightly dangerous to the brain and fuzzy when we were printing at 2AM – ah, the heady enthusiasms of Youth).
during those days – and for a couple of years after – we did headshots and band album covers (or the ones in their heads – sometimes indeed even ones that got pressed as vinyl and covered with our photographs – gosh, no, they are all gone to the four winds – we kept nothing, sadly) and Many theatrical productions.
there were photo sessions galore (we have very beautiful friends) – especially late night in our kitchen (in south london, by those days, having Graduated and living with lots of actors, writers and people-who-did-creative-type-activities) with a strong light and a Vivid Imagination (and a wardrobe of ballgowns, gloves and waistcoats/vests which we liberally dressed everyone up in).
here are a few.
we even took some photographs (sadly lost now and the book is Out of Print) which got Published (and then ripped off by some club promoters in NYC which was daring and exciting and sort of naughty but thrilling to see them pasted over downtown on our First ever trip to the USA)
but – here comes the confession – we messed up a professional photography job (Many Years ago) and the film got ruined and we were so Mortified that we Didn’t Pick Up A Camera for almost Fifteen Years.
we went and did other things.
and became successful doing those other things.
but the heart was broken.
you get that, don’t you?
it hurt for a long time.
and doing these most recent East Coast Portraits (and having been on Instagram for over a year now and slowly, shyly, trying to accept that we Adore taking photographs and sharing them) has helped us, you know, feel a lot better.
which is completely delicious.
and if you’re in our pictures – we thank you for that. Immensely.
how’s your Monday?
we swam, had some work-y type meetings, saw our Financial Advisor (and was Remarkably grown up and enjoyed the experience a lot actually – always a nice surprise) and generally felt Rather hopeful about the future.
do you?
you know – feel hopeful?
we hope so….
sleep well, sweet princess-with-fur.
